Alpster

You would be better off getting a cheap kit from Mudhole.com and start from scratch. I have built 100s of rods and only rebuilt a couple. There are so many ways to permanently damage the blank when removing grips & guides. The epoxies are amazingly strong and permanent. They were never meant to be removed. JMHE Ronnie

Black shad is the ultimate producer for me. Try it! Ronnie

Doesn't hurt that Culprit is the absolute best(non senko type)plastic worm there is. Culprit ribbon tails and Zoom trick/finesse are the only(non senko type)worms I carry. I have caught more bass on a Texas rigged Culprit worm than all other baits combined. Ronnie

I just plan on losing a lot of jigs in thick cover. This is why I have boxes full of jigs and stock up when they are on sale. If you throw them where the fish are they have to be expendable. JMHO Ronnie

About twice a year, if you use it a lot, take off the line and soak it in warm water & dish washing soap to clean the oils off. Wipe it off with a clean towel. Let it dry over night. Use a good fly-line dressing (I like Scientific Angler's) and put it back on your reel. It will last for years. I would avoid putting anything else on good fly-line. JMHO Ronnie

Probably the best factory cranking rod out there. At $240 retail, I think it's a little out of the budget. But if you could swing it, you won't be sorry. Ronnie

Use it for anything you want. The Sol will land any bass you are likely to hook. Period. Ronnie

This is what I use on creature baits and it works great on the "Rage Craw". It's a 4/0 Mustad Powerlock needlepoint. I buy them in boxes of 100. Ronnie

I was born in Texas and grew up in Louisiana. It was always "Coke" as Francho posted "what kind of coke do you want"? - I'll have a Dr. Pepper and a root beer. OK, I be right back with the cokes. That's just how it is. LOL Ronnie

There is no bass in your lake/river that you can't land with a Stradic 1000. Don't bother with the 2500. It comes with a spare spool. Put 4# on one and 8# or 20lb braid on the other and catch any fish you want. JMHO Ronnie

I never peg a bullet sinker unless there is a specific reason to do so. Snagging in thick cover being the most common reason. I've gotten into the habit of changing to a slider head hook instead of pegging. Works better and is more reliable. Ronnie

Without starting a hook war on this thread, try using a 2/0 straight, shank offset hook. You just don't need the huge wide gap hooks. If you are fishing in thick cover, try pegging the weight or switching to an Owner slider head, or Charlie Brewer slider. Just try it! Ronnie

A folding lawn chair (the kind with the webbing) can work. I used to use them in my little tin boat for my wife. Depending how your canoe is constructed, you may be able to use some zip ties to keep it attached to the boat. They are feather light and very stable. I hope you figure out a way to get your dad fishing. Ronnie

Roadtrip 2011 was success as usual! Amazing lake to fish on with even better fishing partners. My special thanks to Tom (fishing rhino) for picking me up and hauling my worthless hide 1000 miles to KY Lake and back. We fished out of his pretty new Triton for several days and had a great time and caught a lot of fish. Tom is a real gentleman and it was more than a pleasure to travel and fish with him. The last two days of fishing was spent with Steve (LundExplorer) and I had an awesome time telling stories and catching some fish with him. His lovely wife Jackie gave up her seat for me and his family also provided some of the best steaks for dinner I have had in quite a while. Of course the usual suspects were also there and I really enjoyed seeing Glen, Kerri, roadwarrior, Mr & Mrs Ghotti (Thanks for the great soiree) Long Mike was the usual sergeant at arms (great job Mike)! Sitting around the table with Steezy and Big-O will make you wet your pants laughing. If CJ is lucky, I will let him fish with me next time (inside joke). Oh yea, Big-O brought about a 100 packs of "Rage Craws" to share. I caught fish on them the first time I ever tied one on. Thanks Big-O! The only thing better than the fishing was the fellowship. I never met a fisherman at a roadtrip that wouldn't give you the shirt off his back or his best fish catching lure. You will never meet a better group of people. The ladies (Kerri & Deb) shared the secrets of fishing the women's pro tournaments and John from "Fisherman's Headquarters" gave a great talk on boating electronics as well as giving all the attending members a goodie bag for of lures, plastics and tackle. THANKS JOHN! Glen told us all the stuff you are "not supposed to know" about the Bass Resource website and it's history. I'm sure I have left out someone important in my thank yous, but I am old and don't remember so well, forgive me. Here are a few pictures to show you what you missed..... The meeting area was a "Man Cave" dream..... Awesome goodie bags from "Fisherman's Headquarters" top notch stuff...... John explaining side scan and down scan technology.......... The buzzards circling the grill waiting for "roadwarrior's" burgers...... The brains of this operation....... Uncle Leo is crankin out the burgers....good eats..... We caught a whole bunch of these little fellas....it was great fun... Tom caught a couple of nice ones while I was with him, he also nailed a big smallie, but I don't have a picture The girls schooled us on women's tournament fishing.... Thankfully, this was the most serious injury on the trip and the reason everyone is asking "how's the thumb" I won't say who did this to me, but he will be the one who gives his steak to me on next year's "RoadTrip".. LOL There you have it.....2012 Road trip.....NO EXCUSES!!! Ronnie

The IGFA line class record for striped bass on 6lb test line is 56lbs-14oz. If you hold your mouth right, you can land some pretty big fish with very light gear. There is a guy I saw on TV who travels the world to set records catching 500+ lb billfish on a flyrod. Enrico Capozzi holds the world line class record for black marlin caught on 6lb test. The marlin weighed (334 kg) 734lbs. Ronnie

No, line color doesn't matter. Ronnie

Rhino will be here to pick me up in a couple of hours. I have to go and run a couple of errands. We will be at Moor's tomorrow some time. You all have safe travels and we will see you in KY. YAAHOOO! Ronnie

Give it time Ken. You will learn to like it. If you need any help, send me a PM and I will see what I can do for you. Ronnie

Click on any member's screen name. When you get to their profile click on "Add me as a friend" right under their picture. At the bottom right of every post there is green plus button and a red minus button. If you like their post hit the plus sign and they get a positive reputation. If you think they are full of BS, hit the minus and subtract from their reputation. It workks kind of like a thumbs up or down in Facebook. I hope this is helpful. Ronnie

1. Culprit 7-1/2" ribbontail worm 2. *** 5" (Senko type bait) 3. Zoom Trick Worm 4. Zoom Finesse Worm 5. Zoom Lizard 6" 6. Zoom Big Tube 7. Zoom Chunk 8. Zoom Horny Toad Ronnie

Yes they are better! I don't own a rod that's not spiral wrapped and I have more than a dozen. Nothing could be more simple,loading the rod when fighting a fish wants to turn the rod to the guides down position. If you need proof, put the butt of your rod into a 2" PVC pipe on about a 45 degree angle with the reel up. Pull some pressure on line to load the rod. If the butt is free to turn in the pipe, it will flip to guides down instantly. I am building 3 rods for the "Road Trip" right now and they will all be spiral wrapped. I will be posting some pictures in the "tackle making" section in the next few days. PS There is no extra problem with rod holders if the rod is built properly. Ronnie

If another 3" would be enough to meet your needs, another option would be to add a "fighting butt". This would be easier to install and would make the rod look like much better than patch job. Here's a link to a picture of what I mean and where to get it. http://www.mudhole.com/Shop-Our-Catalog/Cork-Fighting-Butts/F5-Fighting-Butt This could work also.... http://www.mudhole.com/Shop-Our-Catalog/Fighting-Butt-Extension-Stem-Piece Ronnie

This is from G-Loomis' website. SJR782 (IMX) 6'6" 1pc 6-12lb 1/8-3/8oz Fast Medium BTW, I have this rod. Built it myself, it is not light. I have a 4wt 1 piece Lamiglas flyrod that I built as a spinning rod for ultralight fishing. It is wonderful. Ronnie

Years ago plastic tackle box trays would react to plastisol in plastic baits and they would dissolve and stick to the trays. If you stick to brand name boxes, i.e. Plano, Falcon, BPS, etc. that are made for storing tackle, you won't have this trouble. I have plastics that have been stored in Plano boxes for 7 or 8 years and they are still like new. The best reason for keeping them in the original bags is, so you can remember who made them in case you want to buy more. I have had that problem. LOL Ronnie

Making Long Mike a mod should dispel any ideas that this site is too high class.... Just Kidding!!! Congratulations Nate & Mike!!!